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The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

theguardian.com

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Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#51

Post by rectang »

CoastalCoder wrote: post #46
nicoburns wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't help if we don't have money to hire qualified nurses.

If nurses had lower up-front costs for their own training, I could imagine that allowing lower wages without them being worse off financially. If we hand-wave away a lot of other market dynamics, I'm guessing.

CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants) have low up-front training costs, but don't make a lot of money: an average of $19/hr [1]. So at least some of the less skilled work is being done with economic efficiency.

[1] https://nursa.com/salary/cna

Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#52

Post by MrFots »

constantcrying wrote: post #4

Much of the west is getting older and getting sicker. How unsurprising. What even is the solution? Expand the already massive healthcare sector further? Where does the money for that come from?

Send everyone older than 30 to Carousel.

Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#53

Post by betaby »

thmsths wrote: post #36
betaby wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Salaries probably pay factor as well? Check the sunshine list, plenty of radiologists making 600k/year. That's literally 10x of the median salary.

That does not explain everything. While you could make a reasonable case that doctors are overpaid in the US, the same budgetary crisis is happening all over Europe where salaries are much lower.

The crisis in France is clearly not on the same level that is in Quebec. It's not the only factor, but a serious one. As a continuation of it we have a heavily caped number of doctors what can be 'minted' every year. Same caps exist in the USA states.

Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#54

Post by asdfj999 »

If I could change one thing about healthcare, it would be how we handle end of life care. Sadly, hospitals are full of 80-90+ year old people who cannot walk or talk for years, advanced dementia plus many other serious comorbidities, with severe malnutrition and recurrent aspiration pneumonia, with large non-healing sacral ulcers, who shit and piss themselves, and the family continues to insist we "do everything" to help this person. It is by far the most demoralizing part of working in healthcare, in my opinion, and an astronomical amount of expenditure and effort goes into torturing these people - at the direct order of the family - only to prolong suffering a few more months.

Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#55

Post by MrFots »

kubelsmieci wrote: post #8
constantcrying wrote: post #4

Much of the west is getting older and getting sicker. How unsurprising. What even is the solution? Expand the already massive healthcare sector further? Where does the money for that come from?

Solution: preventive health care, promoting a healthy lifestyle from an early age, and healthy eating

good luck -- https://www.npr.org/2025/07/27/nx-s1-5481828/rfk-jr-uspstf-a...

Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#56

Post by [deleted] »

evoloution wrote: post #40
FigurativeVoid wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have thought that we should make entering the medical professions much easier. In order to become a nurse, you usually need a 4 year degree. This has two issues: 1. This is way to much time in the classroom. Much of that coursework simply isn't necessary. 2. You have people that would be good nurses piking other programs because they can't get passing marks in classes that are irrelevant to day to day nursing. Bind…

So are you hoping to be treated by nurses who are worse academically than the ones we have now? Or are you hoping that "others" will be treated by them while increased supply depresses wages for the good ones that you think will treat you? Also being a nurse is a very hard job, most people wouldn't last a year as an ER nurse in the US.

[deleted]

Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#57

Post by hombre_fatal »

asdfj999 wrote: post #54

If I could change one thing about healthcare, it would be how we handle end of life care. Sadly, hospitals are full of 80-90+ year old people who cannot walk or talk for years, advanced dementia plus many other serious comorbidities, with severe malnutrition and recurrent aspiration pneumonia, with large non-healing sacral ulcers, who shit and piss themselves, and the family continues to insist we "do everything" to…

In most places is it even possible to give these people mercy and opt them out of life if they and/or the family wanted to?

Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#58

Post by asdfj999 »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #57
asdfj999 wrote: post #54

If I could change one thing about healthcare, it would be how we handle end of life care. Sadly, hospitals are full of 80-90+ year old people who cannot walk or talk for years, advanced dementia plus many other serious comorbidities, with severe malnutrition and recurrent aspiration pneumonia, with large non-healing sacral ulcers, who shit and piss themselves, and the family continues to insist we "do everything" to…

In most places is it even possible to give these people mercy and opt them out of life if they and/or the family wanted to?

At least in the US, in general we talk to the family about code status "Do you want your loved one to receive CPR if their heart stops?". We can make them DNR/DNI. Then next discussion would be hospice. They would have a hospital bed sent to their home, be discharged with a weekly nurse visit and doctor available by phone/text, and get minimal medications focused on minimizing suffering.

Re: The hit film about overworked nurses that's causing alarm across Europe

#60

Post by cratermoon »

Every time I've been in the hospital - unfortunately too many times -it's the nurses I see and who do the work, with the occasional lab tech visiting to do a test or draw blood.

The doctors show up once a day, doing their rounds. Don't get me wrong, I've had some wonderful doctors, hospital patient visits are only part of the work doctors do.

I remember the good nurses, the patient nurses who understood why I'd be grouchy, even angry at times, and would sit down and talk to me. I remember the young new nurses, sometimes struggling with an IV placement but persevering to get the skill they know they need.

Most importantly I remember how every time I'd wake from general anesthesia, the first face I saw was a nurse letting me know where I was and what's happening.

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